The Greatest Story Ever Told - So Far: Why Are We Here?

Internationally renowned, award-winning theoretical physicist, New York Times bestselling author of A Universe from Nothing, and passionate advocate for reason, Lawrence Krauss tells the dramatic story of the discovery of the hidden world of reality - a grand poetic vision of nature - and how we find our place within it.

Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed

From Schrodinger's cat to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this book untangles the weirdness of the quantum world. Quantum mechanics underpins modern science and provides us with a blueprint for reality itself. And yet it has been said that if you're not shocked by it, you don't understand it. But is quantum physics really so unknowable? Is reality really so strange? And just how can cats be half alive and half dead at the same time?

Forces of Nature

Professor Brian Cox uncovers some of the most extraordinary natural events on Earth and in the universe and beyond. From the immensity of the universe and the roundness of Earth to the form of every single snowflake, the forces of nature shape everything we see. Pushed to extremes, the results are astonishing. In seeking to understand the everyday world, the colours, structure, behaviour and history of our home, we develop the knowledge and techniques necessary to step beyond the everyday.

The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on the Higgs boson and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void?

Sapiens

Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us sapiens? In this bold and provocative audiobook, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here, and where we're going.

Now: The Physics of Time - and the Ephemeral Moment That Einstein Could Not Explain

You are reading the word now right now. But what does that mean? What makes the ephemeral moment now so special? Its enigmatic character has bedeviled philosophers, priests, and modern-day physicists from Augustine to Einstein and beyond. Einstein showed that the flow of time is affected by both velocity and gravity, yet he despaired at his failure to explain the meaning of now. Equally puzzling: Why does time flow? Some physicists have given up trying to understand and call the flow of time an illusion.

Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition

"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Wolfson at the outset of these 24 lectures on what may be the most important subjects in the universe: relativity and quantum physics. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind them are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. These dynamic and illuminating lectures begin with a brief overview of theories of physical reality starting with Aristotle and culminating in Newtonian or "classical" physics.

A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age

We are bombarded with more information each day than our brains can process - especially in election season. It's raining bad data, half truths, and even outright lies. New York Times best-selling author Daniel J. Levitin shows how to recognize misleading announcements, statistics, graphs, and written reports, revealing the ways lying weasels can use them.

Dan says:"This should be mandatory for everyone in the age of misinformation"

The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age

Enrico Fermi is unquestionably among the greats of the world's physicists, the most famous Italian scientist since Galileo. Called "the Pope" by his peers, he was regarded as infallible in his instincts and research. His discoveries changed our world; they led to weapons of mass destruction and conversely to life-saving medical interventions. This unassuming man struggled with issues relevant today, such as the threat of nuclear annihilation and the relationship of science to politics.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the 20th century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.

Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology

Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how did it come to be? Even in an age of cloning and artificial biology, the remarkable truth remains: Nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we still missing a vital ingredient in its creation?

Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy, and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist.

Cosmos

Cosmos is one of the best-selling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in digestible chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.

The Romanovs: 1613-1918

This is the intimate story of 20 tsars and tsarinas, some touched by genius, some by madness, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition. Simon Sebag Montefiore's gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire building, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, family rivalries, sexual decadence, and wild extravagance, with a global cast of adventurers, courtesans, revolutionaries, and poets, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy and Pushkin.

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution: 25th Anniversary Edition

Steven Levy's classic book traces the exploits of the computer revolution's original hackers - those brilliant and eccentric nerds from the late 1950s through the early '80s who took risks, bent the rules, and pushed the world in a radical new direction. With updated material from noteworthy hackers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Stallman, and Steve Wozniak, Hackers is a fascinating story that begins in early computer research labs and leads to the first home computers.

The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.

Calculating the Cosmos: How Mathematics Unveils the Universe

In Calculating the Cosmos, Ian Stewart presents an exhilarating guide to the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe. He describes the architecture of space and time, dark matter and dark energy, how galaxies form, why stars implode, how everything began, and how it's all going to end. He considers parallel universes, the fine-tuning of the cosmos for life, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood of life on Earth being snuffed out by an asteroid.

From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds

What is human consciousness, and how is it possible? This question fascinates thinking people from poets and painters to physicists, psychologists, and philosophers. From Bacteria to Bach and Back is Daniel C. Dennett's brilliant answer, extending perspectives from his earlier work in surprising directions, exploring the deep interactions of evolution, brains, and human culture.

The Human Advantage: A New Understanding of How Our Brain Became Remarkable

Humans are awesome. Our brains are gigantic, seven times larger than they should be for the size of our bodies. The human brain uses 25 percent of all the energy the body requires each day. And it became enormous in a very short amount of time in evolution, allowing us to leave our cousins, the great apes, behind. So the human brain is special, right? Wrong, according to Suzana Herculano-Houzel. Humans have developed cognitive abilities that outstrip those of all other animals but not because we are evolutionary outliers.

Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations

In his most ambitious work to date, Thomas L. Friedman shows that we have entered an age of dizzying acceleration - and explains how to live in it. Due to an exponential increase in computing power, climbers atop Mount Everest enjoy excellent cell phone service, and self-driving cars are taking to the roads. A parallel explosion of economic interdependency has created new riches as well as spiraling debt burdens.

Our ancestors crossed deserts, mountains, and oceans without even a whisper of what anyone today might consider modern technology. Those feats of endurance now seem impossible in an age where we take comfort for granted. But what if we could regain some of our lost evolutionary strength by simulating the environmental conditions of our forbears? Investigative journalist and anthropologist Scott Carney takes up the challenge to find out: Can we hack our bodies and use the environment to stimulate our inner biology?

Origins: The Scientific Story of Creation

What is the nature of the material world? How does it work? What is the universe and how was it formed? What is life? Where do we come from and how did we evolve? How and why do we think? What does it mean to be human? How do we know? There are many different versions of our creation story. This book tells the version according to modern science. It is a unique account, starting at the Big Bang and travelling right up to the emergence of humans as conscious intelligent beings, 13.8 billion years later.

Publisher's Summary

Britain's most famous mathematician takes us to the edge of knowledge to show us what we cannot know.

Science is king. Every week headlines announce new breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe, new technologies that will transform our environment, new medical advances that will extend our lives. Science is giving us unprecedented insight into some of the big questions that have challenged humanity ever since we've been able to formulate those questions. Where did we come from? What is the ultimate destiny of the universe? What are the building blocks of the physical world? What is consciousness?

What We Cannot Know asks us to rein in this unbridled enthusiasm for the power of science. Marcus Du Sautoy explores the limits of human knowledge, to probe whether there is anything we truly cannot know. Are there limits to what we can discover about our physical universe? Are some regions of the future beyond the predictive powers of science and mathematics? Is time before the big bang a no-go arena? Are there ideas so complex that they are beyond the conception of our finite human brains? Can brains even investigate themselves, or does the analysis enter an infinite loop from which it is impossible to rescue itself? Are there true statements that can never be proved true?

Prepare to be taken to the edge of knowledge to find out what we cannot know.

What the Critics Say

Praise for Marcus du Sautoy: "Marcus du Sautoy [is] surely the single element in the Venn diagram intersection of 'mathematician' and 'cool'." (The Guardian) "Marcus Du Sautoy knows how to tell a story, and, even more important, how to make difficult ideas palatable and entertaining. He is never condescending and is always true to the spirit of his subject. He is a living refutation of Hardy's snobbish view that popularisation is 'work for second rate minds'." (Sunday Telegraph)

This is an excellent, scholarly and ambitious audiobook enthusiastically read by the author. It will apppeal to anyone with a passion for science and maths as it unravels like a detective story. I really enjoyed the references to inspiring and legendary science programmes like Jacob Bronowski's 'Ascent of Man' and Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' as well as a tip of the hat to key developments in Quantum Physics. Much of what was discussed appealed to me because it resonated with my own background in studies in Math and Science. I especially liked the musical analogies that greatly helped illustrate wave theory and concepts. I expect future budding scientists will enjoy it immensely too. On reflection, I would've liked to hear more on the invaluable contribution of pioneering women in science to this journey of discovery (e.g. Rosalind Franklin, Chien-Shiung Wu) as I felt this was somewhat lacking - but this does not detract from the overall theme of the work. I wonder if other listeners feel the same way? In summary, this is a really stimulating and mind expanding addition to my audiobook library that is worthy of repeated listens and further enquiry. Thank you Professor Marcus Du Sautoy for another outstanding book.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

T C parnell

5/18/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fantastic !"

Sheer enjoyment listening to Prof du Sautoy's audiobook. I have read every mainstream book he has written but being able to listen to his wonderful and expressive voice takes it to another level. This is a masterpiece which will have many many relistens .

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Roberto

7/13/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Maths student here"

Loved it, I would recommend this to all science lovers and thinkers :) Definitely tickled my brain. Wonderfully written and read!Well done and keep doing more!!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Claus Hegaard Vistesen

2/6/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"A real treat"

Sumptuous to listen to this tour of science read by the author himself. Go read

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Jerry Cornelius

Fareham, Hampshire United Kingdom

6/30/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Well I don't know!"

Any additional comments?

Marcus du Sautoy is an enthusiastic and engaging reader. As its his book he should be. The subjects are interesting and varied and all in all it is a book that makes you think. I'd like to sit in a pub and talk over this book with Mr du Sautoy. I reckon that would make a great evening.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

S

5/9/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Interesting, but."

Author's voice too shrill and fast. A mistake for him to read his own book. Explanations sometimes too long and vague. The ongoing references to "god" as a definition for what we can't know were unnecessary and infuriating to listen to. However, a lot to learn and find interesting in this very long book.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Mr. J. A. Ball

Spain

4/21/17

Overall

Performance

"A very entertaining listen"

The author's passion for his subject comes through very clearly. For anyone interested I science and philosophy this is a fascinating book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Greg Gauthier

London, UK

2/23/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fantastic Survey Course"

du Sotoy's passion and curiosity are positively infectious. Listening to this book is like listening to a child who's recently discovered some fact, or thought of a novel idea, and can't wait to share it with you.

And yet, the book is remarkably well structured, offers an amazing sampler platter of contemporary problems in science, maths, philosophy, and religion, and makes great use of interviews, storytelling, and imagery. I could easily see this becoming a BBC mini-series.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Ashley Border

1/30/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Now I know..."

...this is a fabulous book... there is a probability that you will like it as much as I do. But I cannot know if you will like it in the same way or indeed as much as I do; how can we even begin to even measure the property of 'like'...? For now, I gave it five stars....

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Phillip Middleton

Cardiff, Wales

1/19/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"interesting and thought provoking"

hoped for a little more depth in relation to man's religious motivation and would perhaps prefer the same subject covered by a biologist rather than a mathematician,but this is a personal preference. The authors voice is quite light weight, I feel he would have benefited from the services of a more authoritative and heavier reader.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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